Oct 26 2007
Your chance to play BYU athletic director
OK, Legionnaires. We’ve all had it up to here with the TV deal. I think I’m hooked on torturing myself with the stories of how BYU would have been in the Big 12 if not for the governor of Texas (Baylor alum) making UT, A&M, Tech and Baylor an all-or-nothing package deal. Or how about the clandestine deal a few years ago that would have brought Colorado and BYU into the PAC-10, but got stonewalled by the west coast politicos. We were thisclose to never having to deal with Craig Thompson or a crappy TV deal or exclusion from big-money bowls (pardon me while I light my hair on fire).
For those of you who need an outlet, I’m here for you. I want to know what YOU would do to get BYU out of this undeserved nightmare. I’m not going to nitpick the feasibility of anyone’s plan - I just want you to get it out there, get it off your chest, embrace the catharsis, share your dream. BYU deserves better, and may someday get it, so let’s hear it! Where would you try to take BYU athletics if you had the chance?
11 Responses to “Your chance to play BYU athletic director”
I would:
1. Create an alliance with all BCS and non BCS teams that are in favor of a play-off system. I believe the SEC, the Big East and possibly the Big 12 would be interested. Big 10 and PAC would go their own way.
2. I would through the new alliance exclude from regular season play any team that did not join the new alliance (ie.e PAC 10 and Big 10). They would soon realize that they can never claim to be national champions without being part of the over all group. They would soon be screaming how unfair the system is and how can there be a true champion without them (where have I heard that lament before???).
3. Go back to 1.
Just get out of the deal. Period. BYU has the money, manpower, facilities, and experience to produce, sell, and distribute it’s own television product. If any of those areas are lacking, I am sure they could find a way to pick up the slack. Student and alumni reporters, broadcasters, camera crews, production people, marketing and sales … should be plentiful (and likely better than most of the “talent” at the Mtn).
BYU does not need a new conference or to go independent…way to much of a headache and like has been said before - too much politics. Just lose the deal, broadcast on BYU TV and gain over 45 million households! Seems so simple, but I don’t know how to make it happen. But as AD, I’m sure I’d have a few people to help figure it out.
I don’t know what the market is like for these things, but I would imagine that if marketed properly, the gap between what the Mtn is paying BYU and what advertising and sponsors would pay for BYU sports on BYU TV can’t be too staggering. It would be nice to find out, and again, as AD, I’m sure I’d have a few people to help me crunch those numbers.
I would imagine that someone has thought of all this and it isn’t possible…but if they haven’t, I’d love the AD job!
Easy. Simple. Not a problem.
BYU and Utah need to request their fans, all over the state, cancel COMCAST. There are enough BYU & U Fans to cancel and pack a punch to Comcast mighty jaw. Make the sacrifice (go without the games) this one season–to gain access for seasons to come.
If thousands of UTAH Comcast subscribers cancelled all at once, I guarentee the deal would be made within a week.
Nobody wants this deal bad enough to sacrifice. Those that have Comcast won’t give it up. Those who don’t have found ways to watch.
Bottom line, the fans have the power to force this deal, but they won’t. Everyone cancel Comcast. Go without TV. Whatever it takes.
The Comcast boycott is a great idea. There is no doubt that if this could be properly organized and executed, the deal would get done immediately. The problem is, it involves participation and sacrifice from those who care the least about the issue - those who have Comcast and therefore get to see the games. I am a Comcast subscriber who is willing to take one for the team. If this got organized and was executed by the right number of people, then you can count me in!
I don’t think that there is any way (legally) to stay in the MWC and get out of the TV deal we currently have. As the AD I would approach Utah with the plan to immediately seek an opportunity to join another conference and then BAIL out of the MWC. With no more contractural obligations to the MWC we could then broadcast on BYUTV as well as whatever other national coverage package the new conference might already have in place.
If Utah was willing to join us, it would pretty much leave the MWC as a lame duck league with no clout whatsoever and it would likely collapse. Even the threat of such a move might cause the rest of the teams in the current MWC to bolt with us and just reform a new conference (Maybe called the ‘Fans First’ conference). The deal with the MWC and Comcast would go away.
If such a threat was made, I think a deal would get done immediately before the succession was even made, because otherwise Comcast would lose everything!!! As far as I’m concerned, I would be just fine with that!!!
BYU, Utah, TCU, Air Force petition to Join the WAC. The WAC has the ability to drop teams and they should drop Utah State, and three other bottom feeders. You would then have a BCS caliber conference with no TV deal with the MTN. If not possible I’m for the Boycott.
Why take a huge step down by rejoining the WAC??
What if BYU bought a couple thousand slingboxs and rented them out to alumni and other fans who can’t get the MTN? Not ideal, but it ads an additional revenue stream to the school.
Our pride gets in the way. nationally I think the WAC is showing better than us, or did I miss all the MWC teams on the rankings.
The WAC is 0-12 against BCS schools this year. Hawaii is getting token respect, but there are 7 teams ahead of them in the rankings that have at least 1 loss. Their schedule is regularly lampooned in the national media.
It doesn’t make sense to say that the WAC is a better league because one WAC team is ranked and no MWC teams are. One team does not a good league make. In the MWC’s case, four teams do not a good league make, but it’s better than what the WAC’s got going right now.
A mass cancellation of Comcast is not a good way to send a message to get a satellite deal done. Why would that make them more willing to get a deal done? It’s not like once a deal’s done, everyone will say, “ok, they did it, now I’ll switch back.” They’ll keep their satellite and watch the games there.
Comcast is a national company and no effort we could organize could ever be big enough to put a large enough dent in their sales.
Finally, as a HUGE BYU fan, I’m going to do whatever it takes to watch the games on tv. Since I live in Utah now, that means Comcast. I’m not going to give up watching games just to prove a point that may or may not be successful.